All is quiet after the Storm
by Mach56
Summary: Third year at Youki Academy. Obviously this one's gonna be a lot more peaceful, right?...Right?  New challenges, old grudges, and new characters are definitely going to make it "peaceful". Rated M just to be safe. Language, Possible gory stuff, etc. ON HIATUS.
1. The Wheels on the Bus

**Author's Note/Warning/Shoutout**:

There is gonna be some language, and for the sake of safety, I'm going to rate this as Mature, cause I don't know how much gore or "embarrassing" (You know what I'm talking about. Pervert.) scenarios I'm gonna put in here. And, yes, I am writing this up as I go. You have a problem about it, punk?

Enjoy it, or try to, or whatever. :]

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: The Wheels of the Bus Go Round and Round…<p>

Calt snorted. The bus ride had been winding around the mountain range for quite some time. The bus was filled with all sorts of kids, all chatting about what they'd do once they arrived at Youkai Academy. Only one student had actually tried to talk to him, a tall, slim yet muscular kid who wore a elongated bracelet of sorts. He was seated right across from him, across the isle. With dark hair and a silly grin, the kid seemed eager to talk to him when he boarded the bus and settled into his seat. So Calt made a conversation impossible by dozing off to sleep, and taking two seats at once. He didn't want to engage in pointless discussions.

Now he was awake again, and by checking his watch, he realized he'd been out for an hour. Since the winding road prevented him from sleeping, and his patience wearing thin, he decided to allow his consciousness known and let the kid to bombard him with questions.

"So, are you new here?" The boy asked, " You seem pretty tall for a first year."

"I transferred," muttered Calt. "And don't ask why, it's a long story."

The dark-haired teenager fell silent to Calts curt reply, pondering what he could say to brighten up the mood. He shrugged, and started talking once more, to Calt's disdain.

"Well, my name's Tsukune. I work at the newspaper club at Youkai Academy. If you're ever interested, don't hesitate to apply," The boy grinned sheepishly "Its tough to reach the deadline sometimes."

Calt nodded. "I'll think about it." In his head, he sighed and decided to let him have a chance. At least make a good first impression to a fellow student. All the guy was trying to do the same thing, come across as a friend.

"What's it like at the Academy? Bunch of nerds?" He asked. Judging from Tsukune's appearance, he doubted it. The kid was silly, obviously, but by his build, he was no nerd. Calt wondered what his true form would look like.

Tsukune shrugged. "Not really. There are tons of groups, from your geeks to your jocks. It's like any other human school."

Calt noticed how the student's eyes lost their focus, distracted by some hidden thoughts he could not understand. He decided not to dwell on it.

"Did you transfer from a human school?" The boy asked.

"Its a loooong story." Calt sighed. "But yeah. I don't wanna think about it." He was itching to find another topic.

"How much longer does this drive last?" Suddenly he became aware of how the winding road became more straightened and linear. A sense of relief washed through his body. He never had a good stomach for cars.

"Not much longer." Tsukune replied, with a smile. "Once we reach a tunnel, we're there."

"Right, the barrier entrance." Calt thought out loud. Silence fell for a moment, and Calt realized he had forgotten something.

"The name's Calt, by the way," He said, "Sorry for making you wait for that."

Tsukune flashed his signature good-natured smile. "No problem. I hope we have a good time at the academy together. Be sure to help me out with notes, will ya?"

Calt nodded absentmindedly. Sure, the kid had good manners, but he still hadn't gained an ounce of his trust. He never liked the concept of going into the barriers to study with the rest of his monster brethren. The thought of studying in the same class with those bastards sickened him.

"We've arrived…." The Bus Driver announced finally, in his usual ominous tone. "Now you two kids get along and be friends, allriiight?"

"Hehe, yeaah…" Tsukune laughed nervously, since he was closest to the bus driver. "Do you always have to be so creepy when you talk?"

"Its just how I work, kid," The Bus Driver said with a grin "Now you hold on tight, there have been fluctuations in the barrier lately, and our entry might be a bit more bumpy than usual."

"Oh." Tsukune said, crestfallen. Other kids quieted as well.

"Wait, wait, hold on. What do you mean by fluctuations?" Calt sputtered, oblivious to what other people were doing. Some were gripping onto their seats, while others simply closed their eyes and bracing for an impact.

"What do you think?" laughed the Bus Driver.

Only then did Calt see the maw of the tunnel in front of the bus, giving him just enough time for him to drain the color from his face, grab ahold of his seat, and brace himself for the worst.

...

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

...

As the rest of the kids got off of the bus and headed towards the academy, Calt stumbled onto the grass and moved towards the edge of the cliff. He was worried about the fall down into the red sea, but sometimes, when you're feeling this sick, you're oblivious to some dangers.

The Bus Driver laughed as Calt tried to composed himself and stood with his hands on his knees, head bent over the cliff, letting the cutting wind slice clear his head and quiet his stomach.

"As I said, take care and don't get into trouble," He spoke outloud. Then, to Tsukune, he muttered "And be careful, boy. Even though you took care of Fairy Tale, some battles don't always end so quickly."

Tsukune nodded solemnly. He remembered the fights they had to go through, and how much they had to overcome. He had hoped that the darkest days were behind him, after sinking Fairy Tale's plot to revive Alucard, one of the most destructive beings ever to exist. After crushing most of their executives and toppling Gyokuro from the seat of power, Tsukune knew deep down that just by cutting off the head of the organization never meant it was gone for good.

"Thanks for your concern," Tsukune said, looking straight at Bus Driver "I'll be sure to take care of everyone. You look after yourself, too." He stuck out his hand.

The Bus Driver was silent for a moment, then nodded. He was surprised of how mature and serious Tsukune could be. "All I did was drive a blimp." He said, taking Tsukune's hand and shaking it, briefly.

Calt stumbled into the Pumpkin Scarecrow, bringing the two men out of their moment of reflection. "I hope that was a once in a lifetime deal," he growled "I'd hate to have that happen every bloody time I come and go." His face was red, not only because was he still feeling sick, but he had just made himself to be weak-willed in front of a bunch of first years.

"Well, these sorts of things come and go as well," The Bus Driver laughed as he took his seat behind the wheel, "Just consider yourself unlucky for today."

With those words, the bus doors folded back, and the bus lurched forward, heading down the dirt road. Calt stared at it as it disappeared in a cloud of gust, his face unreadable, but the color in his checks were lovely hue of red.

"Come on, the school's this way." Tsukune said. Calt, paused, then nodded, and they started off. In Tsukune's head, hundreds of thoughts were swirling. The new arrival seemed to be quite the character, he already felt a pang of home-sickness, and he still felt a bit light-headed after the trip through the tunnel, yet everything seemed so insignificant when he thought of the people who he would meet soon.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends!"

Chapter 1 END!

* * *

><p>Mach- So there. My first chapter. This is actually a triumph. I'll update the new one whenever I feel like it, kay? I've got stuff to do!<p>

Hallucination 1- Really?

Mach- Yeah. Really.

Hallucination 2- Really?

Mach- Yes.

Hallucination 1- I doubt that.

Mach- "sighs" Give me feedback, not sarcasm.

Hallucination 2- Okay. What is with the new guy?

Mach- Have you ever heard of an OC? Original Character? They are kinda the basis of all fan-

Hallucination 1- *Interrupting* I hope he doesn't turn out to be a sue.

Mach- *Sweats* I hope not... *Shakes his head* Anyway, people out there who aren't figments of my imagination, help an author out and drop in some critiques, alright? No flames though, I catch fire way too easily.

Hallucination 2- Really?

Mach- For gods sakes... Yes. So get that match away from me!

Hallucination 2- Hehe.


	2. A Long Walk

**Chapter 2**: A Long Walk

* * *

><p>The sun inched closer to noon as the two young men walked along the path that led towards Youkai Academy. The path wove through a deep forest, but was close enough to the edge that Tsukune could see the grassy fields and the ocean. Ravens cawed in the distance, and the forest was quiet, lacking a peaceful twitter of any other bird. The Academy was not much further, he thought, as they passed the spot where Tsukune had first met a fellow student.<p>

Tsukune was surprised to enter such a crowded bus. Nobody had ever taken the same route as him on his usual ride to the Academy. It was a sudden deviation from the ordinary, and Tsukune did his best to run with it. He attempted to start a conversation with Calt, the man who sat closest to him, but he just dozed off to sleep. When he did wake up, Tsukune tried leave a good impression, but the new arrival seemed detached and even reluctant to be in the conversation. Strangely, Calt had kept Tsukune company up to this point, and Tsukune decided his sullen companion wasn't all bad. After all, everyone has their quirks.

Walking with Calt to the school, and Tsukune paused to observe his new acquaintance another time. Tsukune wasn't joking about the size when he mentioned how tall Calt was. Calt was way too big to be a first year. He was easily 6 feet tall, with brown hair and dark, brown eyes. He had a hardened look, muscles that seemed squeezed and compressed into his frame. Tsukune noticed that Calt had a slight slouch, and that every movement he made seemed slow and methodical, like he was scared that the next step he took would send him crashing down.

"_Possibly a troll"_ Tsukune thought to himself. But trolls were practically bulging with muscles, and walked with extreme arrogance and self-importance. Calt walked like a person shouldering something heavy on their backs, and was no body builder, slim even in human standards.

Tsukune waived the trivial thoughts from his mind. He was back. He couldn't wait to sit down and chat with his friends again. Who knew what sorts of experiences they've had, or how they've grown. His mind danced as he thought of the things he would do this year. Taking part in the athletics carnival, visiting Sun at the beach, the usual strolls to school with Moka...

"So." Calt muttered, awkwardly trying to start a conversation. "What sort of monster are you?"

Tsukune snapped out of his day dreams and realized he nearly walked off the path. "Well, the rules say that we can't tell each other our true forms." He answered cautiously.

As much as he enjoyed Calt's company, he couldn't get rid of the unease that he felt when trying to answer that question. He was human, certainly, but it hanged delicately in a balance, with a ghoul savagery that was repressed by the holy lock he wore on his arm. And both classifications where horrible and where essentially death sentences if other monsters learned about it. Tsukune thought about lying and pretend that he was a vampire, but that could backfire as well. Vampires did not have many friends in the monster community, thanks to their elitist tendencies. Saying he was a vampire could cause conflict as well.

"Come on," Calt pressed. "At least tell me something your race can do."

"No. I can't break the rules" Tsukune said squarely.

"Can you fly?"

"No."

"Can you breath fire?"

"No."

"Can you...breath underwater?"

"Can you Summon?"

"*sighs* No."

"At least tell me something about your race." Calt insisted in desperation.

Tsukune opened his mouth, trying to find an excuse, but was stopped by a sudden rustling in the forest. Tsukune and Calt turned around in surprise.

A familiar figure came crashing through the foliage, carried aloft by an enormous panda. The man with the long pony-tail and traditional Chinese garb jumped down on the path and whirled around to greet them, while the panda sat down and started munching on some bamboo.

"Tsukune!" Fong-Fong exclaimed, grabbing his hand and shaking it furiously. "Its great to have you back! How was your summer? Mine was great! I helped organize my parents Mafia! I did my summer reading for my english class! Boy, The Stranger was a piece of work! Not as depressing as The Metamorphosis, but still! At least some guys in my family could help me with it! I'm so happy we're back! Finally I can hang with you guys again! What did you do this summer?"

Tsukune winced at Fong-Fong's loud and rapid-fire greeting. Just when Calt seemed to loosen up and calm down, Fong-Fong had to barge in and raise the tension level up a few levels.

"Hey Fong-Fong! I'm glad things have been going well for you!" Tsukune said. "Why do you always walk in the forest? Its not a good idea to come rushing out like that."

"Well, he doesn't really like walking out in trails and such", Fong-Fong said as he motioned to the Panda. "He prefers the forest."

"Well, maybe you could just walk on your own two feet," Tsukune said, ignoring Fong-Fong's huff of embarrassment. "Have you seen the others? How did you find me?"

"I just got here. I sensed you as I was heading to the academy." Fong-Fong said. "I have yet to meet your Hare-"

"That can wait, Fong-Fong." Tsukune cut in with a fake grin, putting his arm around Fong-Fong, "I'd like you to meet a friend that I met on the bus. His name's Calt."

"H- Hey, Calt!" Fong-Fong stuttered, nervous by the pressure Tsukune was putting on his neck. Obviously saying the world "harem" wasn't appreciated by Tsukune, especially in front of strangers, he reminded himself. "My name's Fong-Fong. I'm a second year, and I hope to have a great year with you!" He said, sticking out his right arm for a handshake while the left tried to get his head out of the headlock.

"Hey" Calt said as he shook his hand, dumbfounded by the sudden whirlwind of activity that had happened in front of him, trying to make sense of the situation. "Did you say 'Mafia'?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. " Fong-Fong grinned sheepishly as he squirmed out of Tsukune's grasp, and composed himself. "My family works in the underworld. Ever heard of the Huang clan?"

"Nope." Calt said.

"What, really?" Fong-Fong said in surprise, "I've never met a monster who hasn't heard of my family's organization."

"Uuuh." Calt murmured, examining Fong-Fong from head to toe, "Now that I think about it... You guys are based in China, right?"

"There we go!" Fong-Fong exclaimed, oblivious that Calt had merely guessed, thanks to some pretty obvious hints.

Tsukune sighed and released Fong-Fong, "Hey, how about you show him around the school?" He said with a grin.

"Why not?" Fong-Fong said, turning to Calt "Let me show you the campus. We've got some great sights for you too see, since you're going to be here for a while, might as well enjoy the Academy to the fullest."

"No thanks," Calt replied, "I have to report to the headmaster, and turn in my finalized documents of admission into Youkai Academy."

"Really? Well, its quicker to get to the main office going that direction," Tsukune said, gesturing down to a split in the road, to a path that continued to run parallel with the forest. "We'll take the right path, which takes us to the normal entrance." He continued, motioning to the path on their right that passed through a grove of autumn-colored trees, before exiting the forest path completely.

"Thanks." Calt said, and without another word, started down the path.

Tsukune and Fong-Fong watched him go. "Quiet guy." Fong-Fong said, a bit surprised at Calt's attitude.

"You could learn from him a bit..." Tsukune sighed.

"I'm sorry, okay? Anyhow, why do you have to be so defensive about your Harem?" Fong-Fong retorted, "There's nothing wrong with having such a wonderful selection."

"Can we please change the subject?" Tsukune moaned as they started to walk down the path through the canopy of orange trees, which would lead them to the Academy, where everyone else would be waiting. Neither student said it, but they couldn't be more excited.

...

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

...

**Authors Note**:

Okay folks, I'm a busy guy, with busy things to do (seriously), so my series will probably update like Rosario Vampire Season II. Monthly. Give or take a day...

...Nobody is perfect. I apologize.

However, I do have intentions of seeing this through, don't doubt it. I have a substantial amount of ideas, and I'd love to hammer them out and see if I can make it legible. Chapters may come in twos and threes, even, depending on how well my thoughts roll out.

For those who want to know about the pairings sponsored in this story (obviously), I'm not going to advocate one specific pairing. If you want my personal opinion, I enjoy Moka and Tsukune. But I pretty much love all of the girls, so you're going to see more of a harem dynamic, where each gal gets the attention she deserves. However, since my personal bias will be alive and kicking, you can expect a **_tad_** bit more Moka/Tsukune action. Just a **_tad_**, mind you._  
><em>

I also enjoy Yukari/Fong-Fong, but I'm going to keep that out of my series to make it more parallel with the manga. You will see some interaction, but nothing serious, just a close friendship, at most.

As for the rating, as I said, I'm just being very, **_very_** careful. Obviously will be some fighting, some blood, and some fan-service, but I'm also thinking about including some darker scenarios. It may take a while for these things to spring up, though. Patience is a virtue. I'm going to try and be as realistic I can with how I write, so I'll keep the Mature rating just to be safe.

Finally, reviews are appreciated. I'd love some constructive criticism to help me stay on my A-game. Just sending a smiley face as a review would make my day (But try to do more than just a smiley face).


End file.
